You know how in the movie “Chocolat,” everyone’s seduced by Juliette Binoche’s chocolate shop? That’s how we felt the first time we stepped into La Maison du Chocolat’s boutique near Rockefeller Center. We were headed back to Grand Central Terminal and Westchester after an assignment and we thought, well, a look-see won’t take too long, right? Inside, people were enjoying hot chocolate with sides of whipped cream and desert – in the middle of the day in the middle of a workweek in a mild winter. Imagine. We couldn’t be that decadent but we thought, a little milk chocolate praline sample can’t hurt – nor could a box of four to take home, right?
And so it goes. We wound up writing about Maison in WAG. And our relationship with Maison – and our love affair with chocolate – continues. Recently, Maison let us know about its Valentine’s Collection in which chef Nicolas Cloiseau takes our taste buds through a tour of Paris’ distinctive gardens. Our mouth waters at the thought of the collection, which makes you feel as if you’re strolling through the Tuillieries or riding through the Bois de Boulogne.
The Garden Gift Boxes include Orangeraie – dark chocolate ganache with the juice of blood oranges and oranges with a zest infusion; fruity jasmine – milk chocolate ganache with a jasmine infusion on top of a vanilla mango gelée; lime tilleul honey – milk chocolate ganache with tilleul and tilleul honey, enhanced with lime juice; and zested ginger – dark chocolate praline with almonds and ginger with zests of candied lemon.
All we can do is echo the song lyrics “Ooh, la, la la. C’est magnifique.”
A word about the packaging: Illustrator Kim Roselier has contributed a red, white and blue landscape to enhance your taste buds’ trip to the City of Light.
The gift boxes come in four pieces ($18), nine pieces ($36) and 16 pieces ($56) and are available online and in Maison’s shops.
Remember: Valentine’s Day is also Ash Wednesday this year. Yes, we know, bummer.
All the more reason for us chocoholics to stock up and celebrate Feb. 13.
For more, click on to http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.us/en_us/.
– Georgette Gouveia
